It had Never been Easy
by Authoress formerly knownas Liz
Summary: A rewrite of the end of the series. Yugi wins the Ceremonial Duel, but can't bare to see Yami leave. Shounenai YxY


It had Never been Easy

By Liz

Haha I feel smarter for graduating high school.

Anyways, I was inspired to write something sad and tragic by some videos on youtube. Strange coming from a humor writer...oh well!Tell me what you think.

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This was it.

The duel was over.

Yugi had won.

For the first time, Yugi had won a duel against his counterpart. He had spent what seemed like eons thinking of a strategy that would ensure victory, but had always come up short. But now, in the most unlikely time (and the one time he didn't _want _to), he came out victorious.

He sunk to the floor; the weight of his body no longer supported by his weak knees. It was all over. Nothing could undo the previous events.

The tears began to flow freely from his face, coating his cheeks with salty liquid before falling to the ground beneath him. This was not what he wanted, not what he wanted at all!

"Why didn't I lose on purpose?"

He could hear the footsteps of his counterpart as he crossed the dueling ground. He couldn't look at Yami now, knowing that—that—

"Aibou…"

"Mou hitori no boku…I…"

"Shhh," Yami said, putting his hands over his aibou's shoulders with an added gentleness. "I am not your other self now…"

"But I want you to be my other self!" Yugi cried raising his head to meet the gaze of his partner. "I want you to stay with me, with us! You can't leave now! You can't leave ever! I—" He choked on his words as more tears came.

"You'll be okay, aibou." Yami reassured. "You are the strongest person I know, and I've learned so much from you. Much more than I could have ever learned with anyone else. I was once a cold and manipulating person. I was selfish and arrogant. Seeing how caring you are towards other people, it—it inspired me. It made me want to change. I will never forget how much you mean to me, aibou."

The audience to the now-over duel could only keep silent as these events unfolded. Anzu couldn't hold back her tears as she watched. She didn't want Yami to leave any less than Yugi did. She loved him.

She stepped forward, but was stopped by a stretched out arm. Her eyes met the soft, teary brown eyes of Jounouchi. He shook his head and she stepped back, wishing for more time with the pharaoh.

"And I've watched you grow these past few years into a wonderful young man." Yami continued. "When I first met you, you were the shyest, and the least outspoken in your group. But that's all different now. You're going to live a great life, aibou…or should I say, Yugi."

"No," Yugi said. "No! I don't want to have a great life! Not if it means living it without you! I want to always be your aibou! I want to know everyday that you're with me! You have no idea how empty my life will be without you!" He put his hands to his face and sobbed loudly.

"I know it will be difficult," Yami said. He encircled Yugi in his arms, pulling him close to his body. "It's not going to be easy for me, either. The thought of not being able to watch over you _kills _me. Of never being able to _be _with you."

Yugi put his arms around his partner's slender frame, squeezing firmly. "I never thought you would ever leave me…"

"This has to be the most depressing sight I have ever seen." Honda whispered to Jounouchi. "I can't believe he's actually leaving us."

"I can't even begin to imagine how Yugi's feeling…" Jounouchi sighed.

"I never thought I would be leaving you, either." Yami said. He opened his mouth to continue, but was interrupted but the door to the afterlife opening. The room was filled with once absent light, and the realization that time was running out hit harder than ever.

"Yami, no!" Yugi held him tighter, burying his face in the other's chest. "You can't leave! You can't!"

"Yugi…aibou…I'm afraid I have to. As much as I honestly don't want to." He placed a small kiss on Yugi's forehead before pulling completely out of his grasp. "Goodbye, aibou."

Emptiness rushed through Yugi's body as the warmth left him. In a desperate attempt to stop his other self from leaving, Yugi thrust himself forward and into his arms, pressing their lips together with all the emotion he could muster.

Yami was stunned, yet comfortable. He wrapped his arms around Yugi, closing his eyes to let tears fall down his cheeks. He held himself against his partner, trying to be as close as he could to the other man, letting himself get lost in the softness of his lips and the warmth of his body.

This would be his last memory…

When they pulled apart, Yugi could see his other's tears, but behind it all, he could see how much he really meant to the pharaoh. He could only wish that Yami could see the same in him.

"I love you, mou hitori no boku."

Yami smiled. "I love you, _aibou_."

_Aibou_. The word echoed through Yugi's entire being. He was Yami's aibou, now and forever.

With a last kiss, Yami walked into the bright light, disappearing right before their eyes. The door closed, and the room was once again dark and gloomy.

Yugi fell to the ground again, screaming his loves name. Jounouchi ran to be by Yugi's side, quickly taking him in his arms and rocking him gently. "It'll be okay, Yugi."

Anzu and Honda stood behind them, holding each other in an attempt to lessen their grief. The rest of the group sulked away from the sad sight, the event burned in their memories until the day they die.

It had never been easy to let go of a loved one…

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Please send me a review of what you think.


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